Ode to the dress

As the title of this post suggests, I love dresses. I have always been a dress girl, ever since I can remember. Oh sure, there was a time in the early naughties when jeans were the new dress, and I played along for a while, but that was a phase that has come and gone. I still have an impressive collection of jeans, which I keep because they're too nice to get rid of, but really they don't get worn often. These days, the dress (and maybe the occasional skirt) is the hero of my wardrobe.

Since I've started learning to sew (I've actually known how to sew for a long time, but never properly put the skill into practice. It was actually something I learned as a ballerina a lifetime and about 20kg ago. Long story but basically there is sewing involved from attaching ribbons and elastics to point shoes, to repairing or adjusting costumes, and even making quirky alterations to your dance wear. But I digress...) naturally I have gravitated to dressmaking. 

It started with Gertie's New Book for better Sewing. I loved the vintage style patterns included and the techniques were very handy. I soon started discovering other independent pattern companies and I've been hooked. I'm still learning and with every dress I learn something new and get a little better. 

Recently a made a dress I'm super in love with. It's a mash up of By Hand London's Anna dress with Deer and Doe's Chardon skirt 

It's made in a Japanese lawn which is super light and soft and was really a joy to sew. It's a casual, pretty, easy to wear dress. I love the Anna dress bodice and can see myself using it in many more dresses. 

Because a girl can never have too many dresses.